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Cycling, Art and the Travelling Landscape

Submitted by richard on 6 November, 2004 - 22:00.

Families are being encouraged to discover the best in British outdoor art from the comfort of a saddle. Over 350 permanent sculptures and artworks have been commissioned by the sustainable transport charity Sustrans to line a series of "Art and the Travelling Landscape" routes on the national cycle network.

Sustrans is expecting its art discovery tours will prove popular following the Government's recent campaign to encourage children to use the network to cycle to school.

"We've positioned the artworks along the flatter routes that follow disused railway lines and converted bridle paths so that parents feel confident that their children can cycle much more safely," said Sustrans' Katy Hallett.

The Department for Transport has given Sustrans £10 million to create hundreds of safe walking and cycling routes to schools. According to Sustrans, 90% of all schoolchildren have a bike, yet only 2% currently use it to cycle to school. As children become more familiar with the safe cycling school routes, Sustrans hopes more families will seize the opportunity to use the national cycle network during the weekends and holidays.

The artworks, which include works by internationally renowned artists such as Andy Goldsworthy and Tony Cragg, can be found along many of the network's routes, including the Consett to Sunderland route, the Phoenix Way from Thame to Princes Risborough, and the Tarka Trail from Barnstaple to Okehampton. A 33ft solar-powered lighthouse tower by Jony Easterby has recently been unveiled on the Chalk and Channel route between Dover and Folkestone.

0845 1130065, sustrans.co.uk.

This article, by Richard Hammond, was first published in the Guardian.

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